Ouside the Nassau Coliseum before the official Trump Rally is going to get under way later on Wednesday, Donald Trump supporters were out in full force and advocating for their presidential candidate.
"He’s a great man, he’s been right on everything all along,” said Long Beach resident Tommy Mundy, who is a Trump impersonator.
“He’s been right on the economy,” Munday added. “Politicians are wicked and evil and he’s not a politician. I’m not too concerned on the abortions issue, let God take care of that. We are going to do great things, and the economy’s going to get turned around.”
“We're here to voice our opinion,” said Edward Sass of North Babylon. “You get a lot of these politicians saying ‘we're going to do this and we're going to do that.’ They should have done it already. Three and a half years, and they haven't done anything.”
"They're going to promise this and promise that,” Sass said. “Promise what? Something you can go and do? It doesn't make any sense. And we're being overpopulated. We're Long Island. We're an island. We’re too many people in a boat.”
Tzion, a school history teacher who declined to provide his last name, said he is “an independent observer.”
Holding a Haitian flag, Tzion said will be attending the Trump rally. He said that there were some policies he agrees with on Trump, but he has committed to voting for Kamala Harris.
“We have to get to a point where we can disagree with people but calmly listen to people,” Tzion said. “Listening does several things. Listening applies a sense of understanding we can understand what caused the opinion of those we disagree with the most and we can set up for future change.
“Coming to a place like this, I saw a heated argument with a person of color like myself to go back to their country,” he added. “Seeing that whole interaction there, Ican see the sort of mindset of other individuals. It”s a preventable measure.”
Also outside the coliseum, Democrats on the state and local levels held their own rally outside.
“Trump is bad for Long Island,” said State Sen. Kevin Thomas, who is not running for re-election “His poisonous rhetoric is causing crime here and we will not stand for it. And I stand with the Haitian community here on Long Island. This kind of disgusting rhetoric should not happen here.”
Former New York Gov. David Patterson, state Democratic and Nassau County Committee Chair Jay Jacobs, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, County Legislators Debra Mulé and Carrie Solages and prominent businessman and former Congressional candidate Robert Zimmerman were among the contingent outside the front entrance of the coliseum holding signs that showed support for Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris and the Haitian community in light of the false information being spread about immigrants from Haiti eating household pets.
“I’m so proud to stand for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Jacobs said, while Trump supporters chanting “Trump” in the background. “They are running a campaign of hope and optimism and unity. Bringing us back together”